Riaz Haq writes this data-driven blog to provide information, express his opinions and make comments on many topics. Subjects include personal activities, education, South Asia, South Asian community, regional and international affairs and US politics to financial markets. For investors interested in South Asia, Riaz has another blog called South Asia Investor at http://www.southasiainvestor.com and a YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkrIDyFbC9N9evXYb9cA_gQ

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Pak Cricket Needs World Class Batting Coach and Top Psychologist

Pakistani national cricket team's horrible performance at the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy is uncharacteristic for a side widely regarded by experts as one of the most talented in the world. The latest losses have unleashed a torrent of anger in Pakistan with demands for heads at PCB to roll yet again.

For some in Pakistan, the understandable anger has turned into total insanity. For example, former Pakistani cricketer Aamer Suhail has laid the entire blame at the feet of Imran Khan who led Pakistan to its sole victory in ICC World Cup in 1992.

It's unfortunate that Pakistan's losses at international cricket competitions do not force a sober assessment of the team's strengths and weaknesses. Rather, the so-called "experts" resort to self-serving analyses.

In my view, a dispassionate review of the team's record would bring out the following:

1. Pakistan's bowling attack is among the most potent in the world and it should be maintained and enhanced.

2. Pakistan's batting is among the weakest in the world and it needs serious improvement.

3. Pakistani players, particularly batsmen, collapse under pressure.

The best way to move forward is to do the following:

1. Hire a world-class batting coach who has a track record as a super batsman but also knows how to effectively coach a young side. This search for such a coach needs to be world-wide and selection done in a professional manner.

2. Bring on board a world-renowned sports psychologist to increase mental toughness and improve the overall temperament and tenacity of the players to perform well under pressure.
The anger for the loss should not be directed against individual players. Instead, the passion should be channelized to improve the effectiveness of the team as a cohesive unit.

6 comments:

Cries of "Shabash Lala" rang out with Pakistan's mercurial pathan's tremendous power and skill on full display at Providence Stadium in Guyana today.

First, Shahid Afridi joined his captain Misbah-ul-Haq at the crease to score a quick 76 runs off of 55 deliveries to build Pakistan's respectable total of 224 for 9. Then Afridi went on to claim 7 wickets while conceding just 12 runs to limit West Indies to 98 all out. The other wicket-taker was Mohammad Irfan, world's tallest cricketer, with 2 wickets for just 17 runs.

When Afridi took the crease, Pakistan's top order had collapsed once again against the moving ball as Jason Holder delivered a searing new-ball spell of 8-4-8-4.

Misbah-ul-Haq was playing his usual hold-the-innings-together role scoring at about a run an over, but when Afridi strode out, he was immediately looking to score a run a ball. Pakistan were 47 for 5 and the team's last recognized batting pair was in the middle, but that didn't stop Afridi from launching his third delivery for six over long-off.

The second biggest contributor to Pakistan's total was Captain Misbah-ul-Haq with his 52 runs scored from 121 deliveries he faced.

Afridi's latest comeback marks yet another phase of the 33 year-old cricketer's career which has been characterized by quick flashes of brilliance followed by long stretches of mediocrity. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that Afridi's inconsistency is also the hallmark of the entire Pakistani national team with few individual exceptions like Misbah-ul-Haq, the current captain, who is known for his consistent batting performance.

In spite of the big win, it's important to recognize that fundamental weaknesses remain in the Pakistani side.

Pakistan's most popular lala Shahid Afridi is engaged in a very public spat with his former team-mates over his batting skills and performance. Going by Afridi's recent record I see his value to Pakistan team mainly as an effective bowler who occasionally makes some runs. Unfortunately, it does not help solve Pakistan's biggest problem which is its weak and inconsistent batting.

Its the two T's that need to improve, temperament and technique. Batting coaches cant do anything if those two are missing. Batting coaches can only make improvement in the technique but temperament comes from with in and can only change with lots of effort...

Imran Q: "Its the two T's that need to improve, temperament and technique. Batting coaches cant do anything if those two are missing. Batting coaches can only make improvement in the technique but temperament comes from with in and can only change with lots of effort..."

38 of 45 studies of sports psychology (85%) have found positive performance effects on athletes, although causality could only be inferred in 20 of these studies. These interventions could be classified as relaxation-based, cognitive, cognitive-behavioral or behavioral in nature.

An official in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told PTI that sports psychologist Babri will hold two separate sessions with the players at the national cricket academy in Lahore. (Also read: Pakistan seek help to improve umpiring standards)"The players are going to attend a four day conditioning camp from Wednesday and these sessions are part of the camp," he added.The official said head coach, Waqar Younis had requested for the short camp in a bid to allow the players to start a bonding process and leave in high spirits for the World Cup campaign."Dr Babri has held sessions with other players in the past including the banned Muhammad Aamir and others like Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad," the official said.He said the purpose of the two sessions was to lift the confidence of the players and remove any fear or anxiety they might have before such a mega-event."Some top former players like Inzamam-ul-Haq and Javed Miandad who were part of the 92' World Cup winning squad have also been invited to share their experiences with the players."The Chairman of the board, Shaharyar Khan will also give the players one message at their farewell dinner to play positive and fearless cricket in the World Cup without any fear of defeat."Meanwhile senior players, Misbah-ul-Haq, Muhammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi all appeared for their fitness tests at the NCA on Monday and according to the official they passed the tests."Misbah is carrying a hamstring injury and he has shown remarkable recovery and appeared good in the fitness test. All indications are that he will be fit to lead Pakistan before the two one-day internationals against New Zealand later this month in New Zealand," he added.

Misbahul Haq is among the few well-educated (MS in Nuclear Physics) even-tempered cricketers in Pakistan's history. He never panics. He stands tall and fights in the most difficult of circumstances. He stays at the crease and consistently scores runs when wickets are falling around him like autumn leaves. His is the third highest score in ICC World Cup 2015 so far. His score in just this world cup is higher than Shahid Afridi's combined score in the last 4 World Cup tournaments.

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About Me

I am the Founder and President of PakAlumni Worldwide, a global social network for Pakistanis, South Asians and their friends. I also served as Chairman of the NEDians Convention 2007. In addition to being a South Asia watcher, an investor, business consultant and avid follower of the world financial markets, I have more than 25 years experience in the hi-tech industry. I have been on the faculties of Rutgers University and NED Engineering University and cofounded two high-tech startups, Cautella, Inc. and DynArray Corp and managed multi-million dollar P&Ls. I am a pioneer of the PC and mobile businesses and I have held senior management positions in hardware and software development of Intel’s microprocessor product line from 8086 to Pentium processors. My experience includes senior roles in marketing, engineering and business management. I was recognized as “Person of the Year” by PC Magazine for my contribution to 80386 program. I have an MS degree in Electrical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
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